How Humpty Dumpty Could Have Been Saved

Problem Scenario

If someone had to ship something fragile, they would need to know what material to pack it with. This experiment shows which material would work best.

Broad Question

Which material can cushion the best?

Specific Question

Does material density affect cushioning ability?

Hypothesis

It is hypothesized that a material with a density of 1.1 will have the best cushioning ability. Denser materials will have the worst cushioning ability. Less dense materials will be a bit better than denser ones.

Graph of Hypothesis

Variables

Independent Variable: Density of Material (g/cm3)

Dependent Variable: Cushioning Ability (Kg)

Variables That Need To Be Controlled: Height from where the egg is dropped, mass of the contraption (that will crush the egg), mass and size of the eggs.

Vocabulary List That Needs Explanation

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General Plan

Five different materials of different densities will be gathered. An egg will be dropped from a specified height with a material at the bottom to cushion it. After the egg is dropped, the strength of the egg will be measured by how much mass the egg shell can bear. This will be measured by adding weight on top of the egg.

Potential Problems And Solutions

One problem is that different eggs may have different strengths. To ensure good quality data, many eggs will be dropped for each material. Then an average will be taken. Also, the plan is to put weights on the egg. If the weights fall off the egg, or putting weights on the egg doesn't get very good data, then a different method will be used. Lastly, the researcher could drop the egg, but not in the same position as the last. The best way to make sure the egg drops from the same place, is to make a contraption that makes sure it is drop each time, for the same place.

Safety Or Environmental Concerns

The "Egg Drop Project" is not as safe as it seems. If after the researcher drops an egg, adds the weight to the egg, the inner parts go on their hands, and eats something, they could get salmonella. Also if the egg goes through the material and splats on the ground, it could possibly get all over the floor and create an area in which someone could slip. Lastly when the egg is being crushed, unless the egg is protected or the researcher is wearing glasses, the egg parts could get into someone's eyes.

Experimental Design: Controlled, Manipulated

What is your experimental unit?
One egg
Number Of Trials:
6 trials (5 different materials)

Number Of Subjects In Each trial:

6 eggs

Number of Observations:

36 eggs

When data will be collected

By February 25, 2013

Where will data be collected?:

Kennett Middle School (Mr. Littlefield's Science Classroom)

Resources and Budget Table

Item	Number needed	Where I will get this	Cost
Eggs	48 (4 cartons)	Hannaford	$5 each
Bubble Wrap	8 square feet	Walmart	$15
Cotton	4 bags	Walmart	$15
Towels	4 towels	Home	$0
Styrofoam	1 box	Home	$0
Foam	2 pads	Walmart	$10

Detailed Procedure

1. Gather the five materials listed in the budget table.
2. Gather 36 eggs of the same brand.
3. Drop one egg from one meter in the air on to one of the materials.
4. Place the egg inside the empty can (like a soup can).
5. Place board inside the can and place weights on the board.
6. When the egg splits, record the mass on top of the board. For example, if the egg cracks after ten pounds were placed on it, then ten pounds is that material's cushioning ability.
7. Take an average of the six eggs.
8. Repeat steps 3-6 for every material.

Diagram

Photo List

Photo 1: Egg after dropped on towels.
Photo 2: Egg after dropped on to packing peanuts.
Photo 3: Egg being cushioned by foam.
Photo 4: The egg on the bubble wrap.
Photo 5: The cotton with paper towels under them.

Time Line

• 1/25/2013-Gather materials
• 2/4-6/2013-Start experiment
• 2/11/2013-Do the Abstract and Conclusion
• 2/25/2013-Finish Wiki page
• 2/27/2013-Start poster
• 3/27/2013-Finish Poster
• 3/29/2013-Science Fair

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Data Table

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Data Analysis

All Raw Data

(see data table)

Graphs

Results

Cotton balls had the worst cushioning ability. Cotton balls had a density of 0.02 g/cm3 and the eggs that were dropped on to them were able to hold an average of 1.35 Kg. The cotton balls were the only materials that had an egg that cracked when dropped. Packing peanuts had the 4th best cushioning ability. Packing peanuts had a density of 0.05 g/cm3, the second highest density of the materials. They cushioned an average of 4.35 Kg. The next materials are towels. Towels were the second worst at cushioning an egg, cushioning an average of 4.28 Kg. Towels had a density of 0.12 g/cm3, ranking the highest in density. Foam cushioned the best at 5.1 Kg. Foam had the same exact density as cotton balls, 0.02 g/cm3. Last of the materials, bubble wrap, had the 3rd best cushioning ability with it cushioning 4.64 Kg. Bubble Wrap had the lowest density with a 0.0007 g/cm3 density. The last recorded cushioning ability was the control variable. This is where an egg was crushed, without it being dropped on anything. Amazingly, control placed second, with an average cushioning ability of 4.82 Kg. When this experiment was being tested, each material had more than one of itself, like foam had two pads instead of one. Packing peanuts had the the most, with cotton balls close behind. Also, when eggs where tested on cotton balls, the first dropped egg broke. So paper towels had to be placed under the cotton balls, so that clean-up would be easy. When testing with towels, some eggs actually bounced off onto the floor. So a wall of towels had to be put around the pile of towels, so the eggs wouldn't hit the floor.

Conclusion

Does the density of a material affect it's cushioning ability? It is hypothesized that materials with a low density will have the worst cushioning ability, high densities will have better cushioning ability, and materials with densities in the middle of the two will have the best. One of the two materials with the lowest density, Bubble Wrap had the third best cushioning ability, 4.64 Kg, but the other material with the lowest density, Cotton Balls, only supported 1.35 Kg. Towels and Packing Peanuts, the two highest densities, were the closest to each other in cushioning, 4.35 Kg for Packing Peanuts and 4.28 Kg for Towels. They also did the fourth and fifth best with cushioning. Lastly, Foam, had a density that was in the middle of the range, and had the best cushioning ability, 5.1 Kg. It is weird that foam had the best, considering that control should have been the best, since for control, the eggs weren't dropped on anything. So, does the density of a material affect it's cushioning ability, well, considering that cotton and foam had the same density but completely different cushioning abilities, no it doesn't.

Discussion

One pattern in the data was that as the testing went on, the material's cushioning decreased. Foam was the first tested material, then bubble wrap, then packing peanuts, towels, and last cotton. The strength between the two variables, independent and dependent, was weak. The reason for this is that cotton had a low cushioning ability and foam had a high cushioning ability, which scattered the data a little. The answer to this experiment is that materials that have a density, not too high, or not too low, such as foam, will have the best cushioning ability. Materials with a density that's low, like bubble wrap and cotton balls, have the worst cushioning ability and the highest, packing peanuts and towels, have the second best cushioning ability. One major problem that was faced in the experiment was that one material wasn't tested. The reason for this is that feathers came in small bags, and there weren't enough at the store to supply the needs of the experiment. Another problem is that the eggs were stored inside a fridge. This froze the some eggs and cracked them. Others were on the verge of cracking and had a bad cushioning ability. The last problem was that when the eggs were being cracked, a thorough time to place the weights on wasn't set. That problem was quickly solved because it was found that putting the weights on every five seconds would work the best. This experiment could be improved in several ways. One, the eggs were kept in a fridge, so next time, the testing would have to be the day when the eggs are brought in. Second, when foam was being tested, the eggs bounced off. Luckily, no eggs hit the floor, but next time, a wall of some sort of material should be placed around the foam so that no egg would crack by hitting the floor, or, someone (who isn't the person dropping the eggs) with fast reflexes, would stand by to catch the egg. The last thing that would be changed is that more trials would be done, because since none of the eggs were dropped on to a material for control, it should have been better than foam. Maybe more trials would have fixed that.

Benefit to Community and/or Science

The people that would use this information are people who need to pack something, but don't know what sort of material to pack it with. This information would improve egg drops, if the people doing it use foam.

Background Research

Has anyone ever wondered how to do an egg drop, but in reverse? A reverse egg drop is where an unprotected egg is dropped on to a material that will cushion it. For this experiment, five different materials will be used. One material is bubble wrap. Bubble wrap originally started out as two curtains put on top of each other which somehow created a small amount of bubbles on the inside. This was to be sold as wallpaper. When this didn't sell well, it was used as green house insulation. When people discovered this great material, they had it used a packing material. The first object that bubble wrap protected in shipping, was the IBM computers. Now bubble wrap is used in shipping almost every day. Another material is cotton. Cotton balls are made out of cotton, of course. It was first made in 1970 to clean the face and to clean finger and toe nails. By the 1990's many varieties were created to do many different "jobs". Cotton balls are a form of cotton pads. Also, towels are materials that will be used. Packing peanuts will also be used. Packing peanuts have been around since 1965 and have been used to pack materials ever since. Packing peanuts are very light and are usually the size and shape of peanuts. The fourth material used is towels. There are many towels with many different uses, but the type of towel that is being used, is hand towels. The last material is foam. Foam is formed by trapping a gas in a solid. It's kind of like bubble wrap, but more dense. There are many different types of foam, like inflatable kinds and padding. The foam being used is padding foam.

References

"Bubble Wrap (brand)." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 30 Jan. 2013. Web. 05 Feb. 2013.
"Foam." Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 02 Sept. 2013. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.
"Â ." Project Cotton. N.p., n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.
Smith, S.E., and Bronwyn Harris. WiseGeek. Conjecture, n.d. Web. 18 Mar. 2013.

Abstract

Does the density of a material, affect it's cushioning ability? It is hypothesized that a material with the lowest density will have the worst cushioning ability, the material with the highest density will have the second best cushioning ability, and that a material with a density not too high, but not too low, will have the best cushioning ability. The plan for this is to drop six eggs on each material and test the strength of each egg afterwards. To test the egg's strength, an egg will be placed in a washed can. Then a board attached to a wooden cylinder will be placed in the can. Next weights will be placed on the board. Once the egg breaks, the amount of mass placed on the board, will be recorded as the material's cushioning ability. In the end, foam, the material with the density not too high, not too low, had the best cushioning ability. Then bubble wrap, the material with the lowest density, had the next best. The materials with the highest densities, towels and packing peanuts were the third and fourth best for cushioning ability. The other material, cotton balls, had the worst cushioning ability, but the second lowest density. Cotton also had a close density to Foam. This fact proves that density of the material, doesn't affect it's cushioning ability.